The heart of darkness - Essay Example

March 4, Print _______________ ___________________________ (first) (last) Grading Rubric Points Format /2 Incorporation of the Heart of Darkness /4 Incorporation excerpted material –Financial Crisis /4 /10 “The Heart of Darkness” and the Global Financial Crisis Joseph Conrad’s “The Heart of Darkness” is a story about the imperialist rule of King Leopold II of Belgium in Congo. He conquered Congo, because of its natural resources, especially rubber and ivory. This story focuses on the slave trade and the oppressive conditions in Congo.

Marlow’s mission is to bring back Kurtz, a company employee, who failed to come back. Marlow’s journey to the Inner Station exposed realities about the evils of European imperialism and humanity. As for the “Financial Crisis Inquiry Report,” it examines the roots of America’s financial crisis. Kurtz and the people involved in the financial crisis underwent a process of dehumanization, because the power of capitalism and imperialism consumed them and turned their hearts into a dark shade of greed and arrogance.

Kurtz loses his humanity, because capitalism and imperialism provided him with God-like powers. His main purpose was to deliver the goods back to the company through leading the natives. Marlow hates the “physical” and material foundations of imperialism: “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look at it too much” (Conrad 69). But Kurtz found imperialism appealing, because he had self-interests to look after.

In the story, Kurtz has changed from a simple human being into a savage beast. He yearned for the best and the most number of ivories, since he wanted to become rich and be fitting for his “Intended.” His economic goals became political, as the hunt for ivories turned into a power game. Kurtz made one of the most creative and coldhearted ways of exploitation. Some tribes believe he was a god and so he utilizes this power to sway his tribes to wage war against other tribes. The agenda is to get more ivory.

He has become a true-blooded imperialist capitalist. These wars were barbaric and Kurtz inspired his people even more by piercing the heads of his enemies into stakes around his home. He has gained hubris and believed that he is a god indeed, because of his influence on his people. At this point, Kurtz is no longer a person; he is a monster. When his last words were, “The horror! The horror!” (Conrad 171), he must be internalizing what he has done to the people of Congo. He also transformed them into monsters, because of his selfish interests.

The people involved in the financial crisis were also consumed; the power of capitalism and imperialism devoured them and turned their hearts into a murky shade of insatiability and egotism. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac introduced legislative and market changes that transformed the credit and mortgage industries. These industries devised many processes and practices to hedge risks and to make more money in the short run. Securitization and the credit default swap (CDS) were some of these tools.

“Securitization was designed to benefit lenders, investment bankers, and investors” (Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission 43). Financial engineering of securitization, however, is too complex, and investors relied on statistical probabilities to determine the value of securities. These probabilities leveraged, instead of determining “real” risks, so that key financial institutions can make a great deal of money in the short run. Furthermore, “a key OTC derivative in the financial crisis was the credit default swap (CDS)” (Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission 50).

With these tools, it was easy for companies to make more money faster, without thinking of ethical repercussions. In the end, Kurtz and the people involved in the financial crisis became too profit-oriented and complacent with their powers that they were dehumanized. Money was their new god, and when this happened, they made choices that were unethical and inhumane. As a result, the power and money game consumed them. For the people who caused the financial crisis, however, the fire of their greed and arrogance unfortunately burnt the global financial system as well.